And henry bank



Oct. 23, i928.

AJ. RANK ET AL TRAFFIC S IGNAL Filed Dec. ll, 1926 Patented Clot, 23, i928,

Millette? JOHN RANK, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, DIINNESOT, AND HENRY RANK, 0F PONTIAC, MICHIGAN.

TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

Application :tiled December 11, 1926. Serial No, 154,118.

This invention relates to traiiic signals of the self-arighting type,y that is, to signal posts adapted to kbe set in .the street and which, if struck by a vehicle, will yield and moveinto an approximately horizontal position but will automatically resume upright operative position when released tromwthe vehicle.

The invention is directed to an improved means for yieldingly holding the post in an upright position and involves a multi-section weight, the sections of which, when the post is movedfrom its upright operative position, will be picked up and rendered eective progressively and with-increasing or accumulating force.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referringv to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation but part-ly in vertical section illustrating the invention applied to a signal post of the character above generally indicated;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line Q-Q of Fig. 1; Y

Fig. 3 is a view correspondingto Fig 1 but showing the post turned into a horizontal position; and

Fig. 4 is a detail of a niodied'form of the post. Y Y

The invention as appliedv may vary in character, but the post illustrated is substantially the torni disclosed and claimed in mypending application Serial Number 104,046@ .tiled April 23, 1926, andA entitled 'raficusignal. This post here illustrated has a rigid body portion 4, the particular character of which need not be specifically considered except to note that at its lower end it is rigidly secured to a lower head 5, the depending portion of which is in the form of an inverted truncated pyramid and has a rectangular horizontal section. The head 5 has an outstanding flange 6 that rests Von an upstanding rectangular flange 7 of a seat plate 8 with the` portion 5 depending through a rectangular perforation in saidplate, The plate 8 is suitably anchored to the base structure g/ and, as

it is belted to ontstanding a pitlining 9 set into the ground below the plate 8. The plate 8 is thus pivotally anchored so that it may be removed to atford access tothe interior of the pit.l A sectional weight is installed within this pit lining. Said weight may be made up of any desired number of sections, but, as shown, it is made up ot tive disk-like weights or weight sections 10 that are normally spaced, as shown in Fig. 1, by upright spacing rods 11 having iiXed but preferably adjustable stop collars 12. The spacing rods 11, at their lower ends, rest loosely on the bottom portion of the pit and, as shown, they have direct engagement with an annular stop ring 13 secured to the lining 9 near the bottom of the pit.'

A weight-lifting rod 14 is extended axially through the several weights 10 and at its lower end is provided with a nut 14va and a co-operating washer 14". Loosely placed on the 'rod 14, between the weights, are spacing sleeves or members 17 which, in the arrangement shown, are progressively shorter and shorter from the lower toward the upper members. The rod 14, at its upper end, is connected by a link 15 to an eye 16 secured to the extreme lower end of the inverted conical base 5 of the post 4.

The adjustment of the stops 12 on the spacing .rods 11 and the relative lengths of the spacing sleeves 17 are such that normally the said weights 10 will be spaced as shown in Figure 1, by reference to which it will be noted that the lowermost weight 10 is connected `on the post through the iod 14 and link 16. Hence it of course follows that only the lower weight will be normally connected to hold the post in its upright position and to initially resist movement of the post from its upright position, lVhen the post is rocked in any direction from its normal upright position the rod 14 will be raised and the several Weights 10 will be progressively picked up and lifted in an order from the bottom toward the top. Then the post is rocked to a horizontal position, as shown in Figure 3, all of the weights 10 will have been picked up their col 'oint weight will tien es under tlf tending to rock the post back to its upright position. However, as the post is rocked 'from its upright toward its horizontal position its weight progressively increases its leverage. Obviously, a single weight such as the lowermost weight 10, which is amply sufficient to hold the post normally in its upright position with, however, but very slight torce, would not be sullicient to return the post from a horizontal position to its upf right position because of its increased leverage and the weight oli the post when turned downward.. lith the several weights, however, arranged to be progressively picked up and rendered accumulatively eli'ective, the increasing force of the post due to increasing leverage of the downward rocking movement will be substantially ollset so that in all positions o't the post the Ytorce of the weights brought into action will be only slightly more than sin'licient to move the post back to its upright position.

In practice I have so arranged the weights that approximately fourteen pounds downward pull on the upper end ot the post will at all times and in all positions of the post be suilicient to move the post from an upright toward its horizontal position. lith this arrangement it also follows that when the post is released and allowed to move back to its upright position, it will not be violently thus thrown but will slowly but surely return to its upright position andv will not vibrate back and forth after it reaches its upright properly seated position on the flange 7. This arrangement o the weights is of very great importance, irst, because it allows the post to yield and move from its upright position to its horizontal position under very slight resistance and will be moved back to its upright position without requiring the reaction ol a violently acting force. The post is moved from its upright position to a horizontal position under a substantially constant resistance and is returned to its upright position by substantially constant returningr force.

The annular base portion 5 not only bring-s the post back to an upright position, with the flange 6 seated on the flange 7, but holds the post against rotation so that when in an upright position it will properly face the intersecting' streets and will not get into a skewed or unaligned position in respect to the streets.

In practice, electrically operated signal devices will be applied within the post but for the purpose of this case it is only desirable to note a flexible insulated cable 18 that extends to the post through one side of the post from a cable-containing pipe 19 or the like. Ot course, the cable 18 has such slack that it will not interfere with the movements of the post.

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. l a cable 15 is substituted tor the link 15 and may be made long enough tor use as a substitute. also for the lifting rod 14. This cable 15 is extended upward through a bell-shaped lower end portion 5a of the post base 5, and within said base is a stop in the form of a collar or clamp 151. The purpose of the bell 5 is to prevent short bendingv of the cable under rocking movements of the post.

With either of the arrangements described the composite weight is capable ol' shifting considerably within the pit to prevent bending due to the oscillatory movement of the base 5 ot the post when the post is rocked from an upright to a horizontal position or vice versa.

What we claim is:

1. In a traic signal, the combination with a post set for rocking movements to and from anupright normal position, and a plurality of downwardly pulling elements arranged in a series for accumulative action and certain of which are normally inactive but which, when brought into action, aid in moving said post backward to its, upright position, and a connection to said post operative on said: downwardly pulling elements to progressively bring the same into action when said post isv rocked from its upright position.

2. In a traffic signal, the combina-tion with a post set for rocking movements toA and from an upright normal position, a plurality of weights, and weight-supporting connections arranged to pick up the said weights operative progressively when the post is rocked from its upright position.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 in which only the lower weight is normally operated to hold said post in its upright position.

4. In a traffic signal,the combination with a post set for rocking movements to and from an upright normal position, ai multiplicity of vertically spaced weightsy located below said post, and a lifting connection applied to a.

lower portion of said post and havingv connections to said weights spaced so that said weights will be picked up and rendered operative progressively when said post is rocked from its upright position.

5. In a traffic signahthe combination with a post setlor rocking movements to and from an upright normal position, a plurality of weights located below said post, spacing rods normally spacing said weights vertical-ly, a lifting connection to the post through said weights and connected to a depending portion of said post, Said weights being normally progressively nearer and nearer together from the bottom portion toward the top member, and spacing devices applied to said lifting connection between said weights, the several spacing devices being progressively shorter and shorter from the lowertoward the upper member whereby said weights willbe picked up and renderedoperative progressively when saidpost is rocked from its upright position.

6. The structure defined in claim 5 in which up and raised When the post is turned downnormally only the lowermost Weight is opera- Ward to an extreme position. tive-to hold the post in its upright position. In testimony whereof We aiix our signa- 10 7. The structure defined in claim 5 in Which tures. 5 normally only the lowermost Weight is operative to hoidvthe post in its upright position, JOHN RANK. and in which said spacing rods Will be picked HENRY RANK. 

